ONTARIO, Calif. October 9, 2012 The Space Shuttle Endeavour will find a new home soon in the City of Los Angeles. The Shuttle will travel the streets of Los Angeles to come to its new final resting place, the California Science Center in Exposition Park. In order to assist in moving the Shuttle from the Los Angeles International Airport to the Science Center, David Evans and Associates, Inc. (DEA) employed 3D mobile laser scanning technology to collect data surrounding the trip.
This 15-mile journey has many obstacles that needed to be defined for the Shuttle to move safely and successfully through the streets. Using laser scanning technology, DEAs survey team identified horizontal and vertical conflicts that need to be avoided. Endeavour is 122 feet long with a wingspan of 78 feet, a height of 58 feet and weighs in at 175,000 pounds. Moving a vessel of these dimensions through a well-traveled urban center requires a major logistical effort.
The 3D mobile laser scanning system provides a dense point cloud of data from multiple scanning lasers on a vehicle traveling safely at highway speeds. DEA completed the trip of the proposed route in August of 2011 and provided client Cordoba Corporation with survey data identifying the conflicts to be avoided along the route.
When Cordoba Corporation asked if we would join the team to bring the Space Shuttle to Los Angeles, I jumped at this once in a lifetime opportunity to be involved in a historical and engineering event states Robert Vasquez, DEAs California Regional Survey Manager.
Since its founding in 1976, DEA has become a recognized leader for progressive and sustainable design and management solutions for complex transportation, land development, energy, and water projects nationwide. DEAs staff includes professional engineers, surveyors, hydrographers, planners, landscape architects, and natural resources scientists. DEA has 17 offices in seven states and employs more than 650 people.
For more information about DEA, visit www.deainc.com.